Industrial applications may require large volumes of heated fluid, primarily water, but not excluding other fluids such as hydrocarbons or caustic solutions. Although reference is made to all of these fluids, in order to identify fluids separately, these fluids will be identified as being water.
Specific environments may require that no open flame be present. This most commonly occurs in the energy industry. The present invention was created to heat fluids in these types of environments.
Oilfield fracture stimulation treatments require large volumes of water. Water is warmed to allow fluid to gel and carry sand into a reservoir to be stimulated. Common practise has been to transport water, usually by truck, to several tanks located at a site of a recently drilled well. This water is heated by open flamed trucks which utilize diesel or propane fired burners. These burners are very inefficient, utilizing excessive amounts of fuel. They are also extremely hazardous, and can lead to fires, severe burns, and even fatalities.
The present invention allows an opportunity to eliminate the trucking of water, and move warm water via temporary pipelines, typically agricultural irrigation pipes, to fill the subject tanks. This water is heated as it is pumped into the pipelines, preventing freezing issues in cold weather. Once the tanks are filled, the heater of the present invention is moved to the tank site, and further heats the water, or any other fluid contained in the tanks, to the desired temperature. The heating process is efficient and safe, making the best use of fuel in a flameless environment.